Combined seed-drill and fertilizer-distributer.



Patented na 9, I902,

F. BATEMAN. I couam en seep qmu. AND mnnuzsn DISTRIBUTEB.

' (Application filed. m 14. 1900. v

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Patehted Dec. 9. I902.

No. 7I5,633.

I r. BATEMAN; COMBINED SEED DRILL AND FERTILIZER DISTRIBUTED.

(Application filed 14. 1900.

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UNITED. STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

FRANK BATEMAN, OF GRENLOOH, NENV JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE BATE- MANMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF GRENLOCH, NEW JERSEY, A COR- PORATION OF NEWJERSEY.

COMBINED SEED-DRILL AND FERTILIZER-DISTRIBUTER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 715,633, dated December9, 1902.

Application filed December 14, 1900. Serial No. 39,865. (No model.)

To all whom it away concern:

Beit known that I, FRANK BATEMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing in Grenloch, New Jersey, have invented certain Im- 5 provementsin a Combined Seed-Drill and Fertilizer-Distributer, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The objects of my invention are to readily govern the distances apart atwhich the seed shall be distributed in the furrow and to preventcrnshing of the seed by the brush-like stirrer or agitator employed atthe base of the seed-hopper. These objects I attain in the mannerhereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,in

' which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a combinedfertilizer-distributer and seeddrill constructed in accordance with myinvention. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of part of the same on thelineotct, Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are face views of the dropper-regulatorwith the cap-plate removed. Fig. 3 is a side or face view of the tappetwheel or disk.

2 Fig. 5 is a transverse section of said dropperregulator, and Fig. 6 isa perspective view of the dropper-regulator with the cap-plate removed.

The frame of the machine may be similar to any of those now employed andmay have any ordinary form of fertilizer-hopper 1 and seed-hopper 2mounted thereon. In the present instance the fertilizer-hopper has arotatable bottom plate 3, driven by bevel-gears 4 and 5 from the mainaxle of the machine and having a vertical shaft 6, with projectingstirrers 7 and gravity-scraper 8, which rests upon the top of the massof fertilizer in the hopper, rotates with the shaft 6, and gradually odescends as the supply of fertilizer is withdrawn.

The fertilizer is discharged through a throat 9, the area of thedelivery-mouth of said throat being regulated by an adjustablevalve-plate 10, and mounted upon a suitable stud on the fixed frame,so-as to project into the throat 9, is a winged horizontal scraper 11,so disposed in respect to certain projecting pins'12 on the rotatingbottom plate of the fertilizer-distributor that said pins will as saidbottom plate rotates come into contact with the successive arms orblades of the scraper 11, and thereby impart intermittent movements ofpartial rotation thereto, so that there will be a positive scraping orcarrying forward of successive masses of fertilizer through the throat9, thus preventing any clog-- ging of the same or any failure to deliverthe proper amount of fertilizer to the conveyortubes 13, which are ofthe usual flexible character and are connected at their upper ends tosuitable nozzles 14 on the fixed frame and at their lower ends torearwardly-projecting brackets on the furrowing-blades 15, of which inthe present instance there are two, each having a stem 16, verticallyadjustable in a bracket 16, to which is hung the upper end of an arm 17,the latter carrying at its lower end a covering-blade 18. The bracket 16has a vertical stem 19, which passes through a slot in a transverse bar20 on the fixed frame and has a nut 21 bearing upon the top of said bar,so that the brackets, with their arms 17 and furrowing-blades 15 andcovers 18, can either be moved closely to gether, so as to bring thefurrowing-blades side by side at the center of the machine in order toform a single furrow for receiving the fertilizer, or can be separatedlaterally, as shown in Fig. 2, so that each blade will form its ownindependent fertilizer-receiving furrow, as in applying fertilizer tothe opposite sides of a row of growing plants, or, if preferred, one ofthe furrowing-blades can be removed entirely and but one made use of,with both conveyer-tubes 13 attached to it, said f urrowing-blade beingthen placed in the center of the transverse bar 20.

The seed-hopper 2 has at the bottom the usual adjustabledelivery-regulating plate 22, and below the seed-hopper is adelivery-spout 23, which carries the usual furrowing-blade 24, thelatter operating in conjunction with side coverers 25 and presser-wheel26 in the usual manner. The spout has in its lower portion the usualdropper-valve 27, which is normally closed, so as to retain the seedflowin g into the spout, but is opened at intervals,so as to drop theaccumulated seed,the frequency of this opening movement determining thedis- IOO tances apart at which the seeds are planted. The dropper-valveis carried by the shaft 28, mounted in the spout, and this shaft has anarm 29, which is acted upon by one arm of a lever 30, hung to a suitablestud on the fixed frame of the machine, the other arm of said leverbeing acted upon by projections on a tappe't-Wheel 31, which is securedto a shaft 32, extending transversely through the bottom of theseed-hopper, this shaft receiving rotating movement from the axle of themachine by any available system of gearing.

The tappet-wheel 31 has adjacent to its periphery a tappet 33 and aseries of openings 34, 34, and 34, so spaced with respect to each otherand to the tappet 33 as to provide for considerable variety in theoperation of the seeddropper. Thus in the present instance there is theopening 34 at one hundred and eighty degrees from the tappet, twoopenings 34 at ninety degrees from the tappet and the opening 34, andfour openings 34 at sixty degrees from the tappet and the opening 34.

Through any one of the openings 34, 34*, or 34 may be passed the stem ofa pin or rivet 35, having an enlarged head bearing upon the outer faceof the tappet-disk 31, these pins being held in position by means of acap-plate 36, fitting over the end of the shaft 32 and confined inposition bya suitable thumb-nut 37, as shown in Fig. 5. By the use ofseven of these openings and five pins, therefore, the tappet-disk 31 maybe provided with a single tappet or with two, three, four, or sixequidistantly-spaced tappets. Thus with the use of a single tappet-wheelI provide for a wide range in the spacing of the seed and dispense withthe series of independent cams usually employed for this purpose.

The tappet-disk 31 has an inner or secondary series of openings 40 forreceiving the pins not in use in the outer series of openings, thesereserve pins being also held in place by the cap-plate 36.

The arm 29 on the shaft of the droppervalve 27 has at its outer end apocket 41, and when it is desired to throw the dropper out of actionmovement in excess of that imparted to it by the tappet-disk 31 isimparted to the lever 30 by hand, so as to cause the lower end of saidlever to enter the pocket 41, thereby locking the arm 29 and lever 30together until they are released by hand.

The spout 23 has the usual supplementary cut-0E 42, whereby it may beclosed, so as to prevent the feeding of seed through the same when themachine is being turned at the end of a row.

The shaft 32 at the bottom of the feedhopper carries a drum 43, withprojecting tufts or bunches 44 of bristles or other brush material; butthese tufts are disposed tangentially to the shaft instead of radially,as

usual, so that as the drum 43 rotates in the direction of the arrow,Fig. 1, they will act with a sweeping action upon the seed and will notbe so likely to crush or bruise the seed by jamming them between theends of the tufts and the casing of the hopper, as they would ifdisposed radially in the ordt nary way.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent- 1. The combination of the dropper-valve of aseed-delivery spout, with operating mechanism therefor, the sameincluding among its elements a lever, a tappet-disk having in it outerand inner sets of spaced openings, pins constructed to fit said sets ofopenings and placed to engage the lever when the device is operated,with a cap-plate having openings corresponding to those in thetappetdisk and means for removably holding said cap-plate in position,substantially as described.

2. The combination of the dropper-valve of the seed-delivery spout, withoperating mechanism therefor having as one of its elements a tappet-diskwith spaced openings therein, detachable pins adapted to said openings,and a removable cap-plate for retaining said pins in place,substantially as specified.

3. The combination of the dropper-valve of the seed-delivery spout,withoperating mechanism therefor comprising an arm on the valve-shaft, saidarm having a pocket at the outer end, a lever for operating said arm,and a tappet-disk for acting on the lever, substantially as specified.

4. In a seed-distributing device, the combination of a hopper, a shaftpassing therethrough, means for permitting the discharge of materialfrom the hopper and a brush on said shaft, said brush having tuftsextending in lines other than radial to the axis of the shaft wherebythe discharge of material is facilitated when the shaft is rotated.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination of aseed-delivery spout, with a dropper-valve, operating mechanism for saidvalve including a valved shaft having an arm, a lever placed to engagesaid arm and means for periodically moving said lever, said arm and thelever having means whereby they may be locked together at will beyondthe range of action of said actuating means, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK BATEM AN.

WVitnesses:

FRANK E. BEoHToLD, J os. H. KLEIN.

